Clothes clip



Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

UNITEDI STATES LESTER H. PENLEY, F PORTLAND, MAINE.

CLOTHES CLIP.

Application led March 23, 19528.4

It has been a quite general practice, heretofore, in securing,r clothingr on clothes lines to employ the well known forked clothespin, the clothes hanging over the line and the pin forced on astride of tue clothes to hold 'them in place.

Out-door clothes lines are usually more or less covered with dust and dirt and in consequence the clothes become soiled when l0 hung directly thereon.

lt is a general object of my present invention to provide a clothes-clip in which are incorporated facilities for suspending articles of clothing, either wet or dry, indirectly from the clothes lineor in other words. without actual contact of the clothes with the line.

A speciiic object-sought is in relation to the form or shape of the clothes-gripping surfaces ofthe clothes-clip jaws and the sur- :faces adjacent thereto, whereby an efective and safe grasp of the clothes is made possible.

A further object concerns the method of, supporting and securing the clothes-clip on the'clothes linee-it being so designed that the'weight of the sus ended clothes is carried solely by one of t e jaws of the clothesclip, the latter being held against both transverse and longitudinal displacement on the line by a line-clamping spring.

And a still further object resides in the somewhat universal character of the device in that it is susceptible, in actual use, of more than a single method of application, one being to clamp the clothes, when conditions make it seem desirable to do so, directly to the Clothes line, and another, which is the preferred method, to suspend the clothes from the clothes-clip which latter constitutes the connecting link between the clothes and the clothes line.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the description hereinafter found in the specification; and for the purpose of illustrating my invention I have prepared the accompanying drawing, disclosing therein one embodiment which, at the present time, I consider preferable to other possible forms in which the invention might be carried out.

ln the drawing,-

Figs. l and 2 are perspective views showing, res iectively, the front and back sides of the clot es clip;

serial No. 264,261.

U Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing an article of clothing suspended from the clothes clip, which in turn is secured to pending from a clothes' line;

Fig. is a perspective of the line-clamping sprlng;

Fig. 5 is a modified form of the element shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 shows the clothes-clip clampinv the clothes which are directly suspended from the clothes line, and

Figs 7 and 8 are fragmentary perspective views of the upper portion of the jaw to which is attached the line-clamping element,-thc Jformer accommodating the wire spring and the latter the flat spring, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, respectively, these figures as well as Figs. 4, 5 and 6 being somewhat enlarged.

Similar reference characters are employed to identify equivalent parts throughout all the different views of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, l and 2 represent, respectively, the front andback jaws of the clothesclip, interjacent which is the double acting spring 3 which serves both to keep the jaws in relative workable relation and to provide a yielding pressure tending to force together the gripping/end portions thereof.. j

This clip, in so far as its general form and functional characteristics are concerned is an old and conventional structure, and as such constitutes no part of my present invention, except in combination with the novel improvements which provide the subject matter of this application.

On the lower, inside face of the jaw l is a convex shaped projection 4 and disposed on the inner face of the jaw 2, so as to engage, when the jaws are together, the projection 4 is a concave portion 5. It is obvious that this arrangement might be reversed and the convex part made on the jawo 2, with the concave portion on the jaw l without aecting the result.

Directly above the portionsA and 5, toward the pivotal point of the' jaws on the spring 3, are transverse clearance cavities 6 and 7 made in the jaws l and 2, respectively. The function which these cavities 6 and 7 exercise will be hereinafter explained.

At the upper end and on the front face of the jaw l is cut an angular depression 8,

the c ut starting at the face of the jaw and and de- I portions o tis.

'gmdueiiy deepening 'mui 'a depui of t least one half of the diameter of an ordinary clothes .line ia' reached. This provides a end'of the jaw 1 and a transverse. groove 10 Avout on the inner face thereof. Circumvent- I ing the up er end and inner and outer face i) the jaw 1 is a. two-strand lineclamping spring element 11, the lower, front lends of the strands being joined and bent outwardly so as to more conveniently receive the'clothes line as it is pressed into position in thedepression 8. n

'te'the depression 8 the strands of the spring are slightly concaved to close around the clothes line, and the transverse t geretions are seated in the rooves 9. The A o ends extend downwar ly on the inner face of the jaw and terminate in abruptly turned ends 11 which engage the groove 10. Should a flat spring (see Fig. 5) be used the .two 4sion see Fig. 8). Fi 3 the clothes-clip is shown secured toa clot es line 12 andthe gripping end of the jaws have Within their embrace the ,fclothes 13. It will be noticed that the'load 'borne the clothes-clip is directly carried 011. the shoulder 8,-the spring 11 serving; only'to prevent displacement of the clothesooves 9 are made'as one wide deprescli from the clothes line.

Xs previously intimated, I may elect to employ a flat s ring for this element 11, as shown in Fig. its use being productive of substantially the Vsame result, except that, in the case of the wire spring a more effective har against longitudinal movement of the clothes-clip along the clothesline is provided, due to the fact that the strands will embed themselves slightly into the line.

Revel-ting to a further consideration of the clothesfgripping'ends of the jaws 1 and 2, Vit is obvious that a firmer grasp of the article suspended may be had with the con# -I struction as shown than if a two-point e ing the wind. Withrthis male and female gri ping contact of the clothes is obtained. En the present instance the contacting surfaces are ong and there is less likelihood of tearclothes when violently blown by the of clamp it is desirable, if not essential, t t a clearance be made in the inner faces of the jaws,

above the points of contact with the clothes,-4 supplied by the cavities 6 and 7, which permits the whole clamping effort of the jaws t be applied at the points of impingement with the clothes,-or at the portions 4 and 5.

This construction also serves to allow a hunched up condition of the top end of the clothes above the gripping points 4 and 5, the clothes spreading out into the cavities 6 4readily understood by observing and 7 and thereby greatly increasing the ability of the jaws to withstand any tendency of slippage of the clothes out of their grasp.

Furthermore, the clearance cavities 6 and 7 7 provide the means within which the clothes line, over which the article suspended is disosed, may be cinbraced,as seen in Fig. 6. his method of suspension, however, is infrequently required, it being necessary only 'I in .the case of very heavy goods,as for instance thick, wet blankets, in which 'instance it might be desirable as a precaution ary measure to throwI the blanket over the line and-apply the clips t0 retain it in l place, I attach considerable importance to the" structural simplicity of the line-clamping element 11 and to the facility with which it may be secured to the clip jaw. Constructed l in such a shape that it is easil applied to and positively held on the jaw y engaging certain slots or grooves made therein, it is capable of fulfilling its duty independently of any other element on the clothes-clip. In mounting the spring on the clip jaw it is opened slightly so as to straddle the jaw, is then press d downwardly until the crosswise portions seat in the grooves 9 and the" offset ends 11 snap into the groove 10,-- thus locking it in all directions.

The operation of the clothes-cli may i .3. t makes no particular difference, so fr as its application is concerned,.whether the clip is first secured tothe clothes and Subsc` quently hung, with the clothes attached, on to the clothesA line, or a converse sequence of movements be followed, b first vattachingA the clip to the line and t en securing the clothes to the clip.

In either case, the clothesfclip is secured to the ,clothes line by passing the latter inw the space A, Fig. 3, and forcin it between tile splring 11 and thhjaw 1 until it seats in t e epression 8,- e ri e an sufficiently to allow of this benlg dgnedmg As I stated, the important feature in the practical use of the clothes-clips is that under ordinary conditions no contact of the clothes with the line need be made, thus` eliminating one of the diliculties of home laundry work, namely, soiled clothes due to unclean clothes lines. l d There is a further advantage in the of these clothes-clips in that7 during the winter months in cold climates, the cli may be attached to the clothes while in e house, shortening the period in which. the maid or laundry worker is required to be out of doors, as only the labor of snapping the clips on the line 1s at that time necessary. And 1n contrastl to the old clothes-pin method of attaching the clothes directly to the clothes line, there will be no loss caused by tearing the clothes While detaching them from the line to which very often they are frozen.

They will also be found very serviceable in otherthan laundry work, as for instance, in hanging garments, draperies and fabrics of any description for out-of-doors airing and cleansing, and for in-door work in hanging various articles on racks or hooks.

The clothes-clip is of simple construction, low in cost, and it is believed might be considered a household necessity Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire tc secure by Letters Patent is 1. A clothes-clip comprising in combina tion, two clothes-gripping jaws, a shoulder projecting from one side, near the upper end, of one of said jaws and adapted to directly su port the weight of said clip when suspende on a clothes-line, means detachabl secured to said jaw adapted to yielding y hold the clothes-line beneath said shoulder, and means to hold said yieldinl means against transverse and longitudina displacement from said jaw.

2. A clothes-clip comprising in combination, two clothesgripping jaws, a depression, having a transverse shoulder, disposed en the upper'side portion of one of said jaws and constituting a space in which a clothes-line may be seated, a transverse groove on the opposite side of said. jaw) a spring element bridging the said depression and extending'over the top end of said jaw, and an odset portion on the inner end of said spring element adapted to engage said transverse groove.

3. A dev'ice of the character described comprising in combination with two yieldingly bound, pivotally connected clothesgripping jaws. a depression on the side and near the top of one of said jaws adapted to receive a clothes-line, a shoulder formed by said depression adapted to abut on the top side of the clothes-line and carry the weight of said device, a groove on the top of said last mentioned jaw disposed thereon transversely of the axis of the pivotal connection of said jaws, a groove on the side of said jaw opposite the side on which is said depression and disposed in parallel relation to the pivotal connection of said jaws, a yielding member bridging the said depression and having its outer, lower end portion bent outwardly to facilitate the reception of the clothes-line into said depression, said member extendin over the top end of said jaw through sai against transverse displacement thereof from said jaw, and a bent-over portion on said yielding member adapted to engage said parallel cut groove whereby it ma, be held against longitudinal displacement om said J In testimony whereof affix my signature.

LESTER H. PENLEY.

transverse groove to provide 

